DURING the years 1963 to 1969 inclusive the Institution opened no fewer than 49 new stations and closed 11. These contrasting figures are evidence of the way in which the R.N.L.I. has been coping with the increasing demands made.

During this period the number of launches on service increased year by year. In 1963 the figure was 863 and in 1968 2,310. The table on page 9 shows how and when new stations were opened and other stations were closed.

From this it will be seen that in 1965, for example, 13 new stations were opened and one station closed. The next year 12 new stations came into operation and there was not a single closure.

In some quarters the suggestion has been made that station closures are part of some sort of economy drive. As the table shows, the truth is that what has occurred has been both an expansion and a redeployment of opera- tional resources to meet changing conditions.

SWIMMERS IN LIFE-BOATS In May, 1969, the Committee of Management of the R.N.L.I. decided that the possibilities of using frogmen in rescue work from life-boats and inshore rescue boats should be investigated. One of the first steps taken was to seek the advice of the naval authorities, particularly on the question of whether to use divers, wearing breathing apparatus, or swimmers equipped with diving suits and fins with no special breathing apparatus supplied. Their advice was that breathingapparatus is not suitable equipment for men to wear in a life-boat under service conditions.

Trials carried out during the summer of 1969 led to the conclusion that wet suits, which are widely used by divers, might be regarded as suitable wear.

Investigations are continuing to enable a specification to be drawn up for the best forms of wet suits and equipment for use by swimmers. The Committee of Management has also decided that for swimmers the minimum qualification should be the Royal Life Saving Society's bronze medallion or the equivalent medallion of the Irish Life Saving Society. Trials are also continuing to assess the limitations which may be put on swimmers from inshore rescue boats by adverse conditions.

BOATS AND IGLOOS IN FIBREGLASS For the first time ever the Institution has placed an order for four fast rescue boats to be built with G.R.P. (glass reinforced plastic) hulls. The four boats, which have been designed by Mr. J. A. McLachlan of G. L. Watson & Co. of Glasgow, are being built by Messrs. William Osborne at Littlehampton under Mr. McLachlan's supervision. The cost of each boat will be approximately £3,400.

The McLachlan boat has an overall length of 18 feet 6 inches, is driven by two 60 h.p. inboard engines with outboard drive, and has a speed of over 20 knots.

The R.N.L.I. already has two different types of boat with G.R.P. hulls under- going evaluation trials. One is the 40-foot boat operating off Sheerness, the others being modifications of standard 17-foot dories which are undergoing trials at Lyme Regis, Poole and Ramsgate. For the purpose of these trials the R.N.L.I. used G.R.P. hulls of existing design.

The R.N.L.I. has also placed an order for two new igloo-type shelters made of glass reinforced plastic. They will be used to meet future requirements for the housing of inshore rescue boats and cost a little over £1,000 each.

The shelters are 24 feet 3 inches in diameter with an overall height of 10 feet 6 inches. The igloos are being built by Messrs. Halmatic Ltd. of Havant, Hants.

INTERNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT CONFERENCE The next international life-boat conference will be held in New York City from 17th to 20th May, 1971. The host body will be the United States Coast Guard. This will be the first international life-boat conference to take place outside Europe. The first conference was held in 1924 in London, and since then conferences have been held at four-yearly intervals except for the gap caused by the last war. The 1967 conference was held in Dinard and St. Malo.

THE LADY WHO WALKED HOME Readers of THE LIFE-BOAT will know of many examples of gifts made to the R.N.L.I. in remarkable circumstances. A particularly gratifying and moving incident occurred recently at Shrewsbury on life-boat day. One of the collectors give something to the life-boats'. The woman opened her purse, took out her money, began counting it, and said; 'That's for the butcher, that's for the chemist and this is for my bus fare'. She then discovered that this left her nothing, and added: 'It doesn't matter, I'll walk home'. She then put the amount of her bus fare into the collecting box.

NEW FILMS Four new films will be available for showing by branches during the coming year. One of these, Bequest to a Village, has been presented to the R.N.L.I. by W. D. and H. O. Wills. This is a colour film running 22 minutes and depicts vividly and attractively the life of the village of Sennen Cove, of which the life- boat forms such a central part. Another new colour film is also being made by Dr. W. J. Guild of Edinburgh. Aid for the Asking is a colour film lasting a little over 20 minutes. It has been made by Schermuly Ltd. and deals largely with the problems of distress signals and communication at sea. The last of the new films is that of the television appeal made by Mr. Raymond Baxter in March, 1969.

NEW PLASTIC COLLECTING BOXES Following tests carried out on life-boat days in a number of places, a new type of plastic collecting box has been brought into use and will gradually supersede both the cardboard collecting boxes used on life-boat days and the metal collecting boxes, whose cost is now becoming prohibitive. The life-boat day collecting boxes are coloured orange and the boxes for permanent use yellow. These boxes are shown on page 4.

FREE GIFTS FROM FIRMS The operational side of the R.N.L.I.—the actual life-boat crews—receive free gifts of cigarettes, chocolates, biscuits and so on from many commercial organisations.

The firms include: Huntley & Palmers, Reading (biscuits), United Biscuits Ltd., London (biscuits), Peek, Frean & Co., London (biscuits), Rowntree & Co. Ltd., York (chocolate), Fry/Cadbury (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin (chocolate), Irish Oil and Cake Mills Ltd., Drogheda, Co. Louth, Eire (storm oil), Wilcot (Parent) Co. Ltd., Fishponds, Bristol (paint remover), Flather Halesowen Ltd., Tinsley, Sheffield (steel), Benjn. R. Vickers & Sons Ltd., Leeds (stern tube lubricant), Gallahers Ltd., London (cigarettes) and P. J. Carroll & Co. Ltd., Dublin (cigarettes). ' NOTICE All contributions for the Institution should be sent to the honorary secretary of the local branch or guild, to Captain Nigel Dixon, R.N., Secretary, Royal National Life-boat Institution, 42 Grosvenor Gardens, London, S.W.I (Tel: 01-730 0031), or direct to the Institution's bankers, Messrs. Coutts & Co., 440 Strand, London, W.C.2, or National Giro account number 545 4050.

All enquiries about the work of the Institution or about this journal should be addressed to the Secretary.

The next number of THE LIFE-BOAT will be published in April, 1970.

ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting of the R.N.L.I. will take place at the Central Hall, Westminster, on 8th April, 1970, at 3 p.m.

R.N.L.I. Staff Changes In the list of R.N.L.I. staff changes which appeared on page 658 of the September number of THE LIFE-BOAT, two ranks were given incorrectly. Lieut. - Commander D. B. Cairns should read Commander D. B. Cairns, R.D., and Commander L. A. Forbes should read Lieut.-Commander L. A. Forbes.

R.N.L.I. OFFICE IN BEDFORD In October, 1969, the Royal National Life-boat Institution opened an office in Bedford to assist fund raising in the counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Essex and the major part of Cambridgeshire.

In recent years the life-boat service has been in some financial difficulty, yet its activities have greatly increased. Rescue calls have increased from 863 in 1963 to 2,310 in 1968.

When these facts are explained to the public they respond most generously, and it is in order that closer coverage can be given that it has been decided to form this new area out of the hitherto large South East District.

Mr. George Price has been appointed organising secretary for the new area, which will be known as the Eastern District, and will have his office at 29 Goldington Road, Bedford (Tel.: 0234-52974). Mr. Price has considerable experience of fund raising for charitable purposes and has recently been in the service of the R.N.L.I. as assistant organising secretary in the south west.

FORMER COXSWAINS The death occurred on 22nd August, 1969, of ex-Coxswain Angus McEachran, aged 83, who was appointed second coxswain of the Campbeltown, Argyll, life- boat in 1927. From 1931 to his retirement in 1938 he was coxswain of the local life-boat.

Ex-Coxswain Joseph Vine, who died on 14th October, 1969, was for over 25 years boat's officer with the Weymouth, Dorset, life-boat.

Ex-Coxswain Harry L. Jones, of Barmouth, died on 17th July, 1969. He was 70. His service with the R.N.L.I. extended over 40 years.

The death took place in July this year of ex-Coxswain Edward Dawson, of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. He was 57, and was for nearly 10 years coxswain of the local life-boat.

Former Coxswain Frank Watts, of Weston-super-Mare, died on 26th October, 1969, having spent nearly 18 years as boat's officer at Weston-super-Mare.

The death occurred in May of this year of ex-Coxswain Daniel Smith, of Dundalk, who served the R.N.L.I. as second coxswain and coxswain between 1924 and 1935 when the station closed.